Lehman, Middle Smithfield feud with park service over roads

Lehman Township supervisors have expressed aggravation about actions taken by the National Park Service in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, including one that appears to establish Community Drive as a one-way street.

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By WAYNE WITKOWSKI

poconorecord.com

By WAYNE WITKOWSKI

Posted Mar. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Posted Mar. 31, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

Lehman Township supervisors have expressed aggravation about actions taken by the National Park Service in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, including one that appears to establish Community Drive as a one-way street.

Motorists driving northbound to Milford cannot turn right off Route 209 onto Community Drive or left going southbound toward Stroudsburg, according to posted signs that show the turn arrow with a slash through it.

Motorists driving southbound seeing a traffic backup no longer can cross Route 209 and use Community Drive as a bypass.

Community Drive falls under the jurisdiction of Middle Smithfield Township, but it has a contract with Lehman for snow clearing.

Because Community Drive is not a National Park Service road but leads onto Route 209 in the park, the NPS cannot post a "Do Not Enter" sign.

Instead, local officials contend the NPS worked around it with the "no turn" signs.

Lehman Township Board of Supervisors Chairman John Sivick said the township never was notified and said he understood Middle Smithfield never was notified in advance.

"Middle Smithfield was not notified in advance of the park service placing signage along our road that does not allow access to our road," said Middle Smithfield Board of Supervisors Chairman Annette Atkinson.

A Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area official claims advance notifications were sent to both townships.

Sivick said Lehman Township sent a letter March 8 and that Middle Smithfield sent one March 15 requesting a meeting with DWGNRA Superintendent John Donahue.

Kathleen Sandt, public information officer and acting management assistant for the DWGNRA, said her offices received letters from both townships but tells it differently.

"Community Drive remains a two-way road," Sandt wrote in an email. "Drivers may make a right turn onto Community Drive if they are heading northbound on 209. Left turns from the southbound lane are now prohibited."

Sandt wrote about the southbound one: "The decision was prompted by the results of a traffic safety study that was completed by the NPS and Federal Highway Administration in 2008-2009. The study recommended that the park take this action to reduce automobile accidents at that location.

"The park held public hearings to gather input from local residents and stakeholders as the study was being conducted and then held a public meeting and issued a news release notifying the public, which includes local township supervisors, of the results of the study and the actions that would be taken to implement it."

Sandt said the Route 209 traffic safety improvement project includes many changes, including major changes to the intersection of Bushkill Falls Road and Route 209.

The National Park Service is installing or replacing 337 signs at a $430,000 cost in the dark brown national park color and other signs, such as stop signs, with the brown color backing.

"Installing the 'no left turn' sign was only one item in a comprehensive plan that sought public input from the beginning," wrote Sandt. "The park was also very up front about announcing the results and recommendations to the public through the media and public meetings. Both townships were notified of the traffic safety improvements that would take place and had a chance to weigh in. They are listed as consulting parties in the final document."

Atkinson differed in her email response.

"In Kathleen's email, she talked of public hearings in 2008 and 2009," Atkinson wrote. "When she says 'Both townships were notified of the traffic safety improvements that would take place and had a chance to weigh in,' she is talking about the public hearings from 2008 and 2009. ...That is different than receiving a letter saying, 'We'll be putting signs up next week ... etc.' Middle Smithfield Township received no advance notification stating when and where the Park Service would place signs that affect our road. Usually we receive notices a few weeks in advance of anyone putting up signs in the township."

It's not the only issue that has visibly rankled the Lehman supervisors, who said they received a letter from the NPS office telling them to change the name on one sign for Briscoe Mountain Road and to leave the "e" off Brisco.

It might not seem a big deal, as the township has been going through readdressing for this year, but Sivick pointed out that the township researched the name and found it with an "e."

Sandt differs.

"The road was named after the Brisco family and has always been Brisco until about 15 years ago when the 'e' was inadvertently added," Sandt said.

"It went essentially unnoticed, but as we are going through the process of installing new signage throughout the park, the mistake was caught and is being corrected. It's editing a typo that managed to persist until people thought it was correct."

What put the friction with the NPS over the top for Lehman was when the park service removed township stop signs in the area and replaced them with NPS-compliant ones on roads such as Brodhead Road.

You can tell the difference, says Supervisor Paul Menditto, because the NPS stop signs are on wooden posts, not the metal ones of the state and municipalities.

And the back side of the NPS sign has a brown backing instead of the metallic one.

"We were never told about this. They just took our signs," Sivick said.

"I want our signs back — they cost money from our residents' taxes — and I want an apology from the park service for their doing this.